Carlos Aguilar ’13, Brea Bailey ’14, Steven Borsman ’14, Suzanne Dazo ’14, Paul Hawkins’ 14, Thomas Risk ’14, Jasmine Towne ’15, Jacob Leibeck ’15 and Cheyenne Bridgewater ’14 are representing Berea College among over 1000 outstanding American undergraduate students from 270 colleges and universities across the U.S. who have been selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, to participate in a study abroad or international internship program during the summer and fall 2013 academic terms.

Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply towards their study abroad program costs, and a limited number of students will also receive additional funding for language study through the Critical Need Language Awards, for a total award of $8,000. The list of students who have been selected to receive Gilman Scholarships, including students’ home state, university and country of study, is available at www.iie.org/gilman. Berea College is one of the universities with the most awardees in this academic year.

The U.S. Department of State’s Gilman Scholarship Program aims to diversify the kinds of students who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go. Applications for spring 2014 Gilman Scholarships will be available online in August 2013 and due October 1, 2013. Students receiving a federal Pell Grant from two- and four-year institutions who will be studying abroad or participating in an international internship for academic credit are encouraged to apply.

Since the establishment of the Gilman International Scholarship Program by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000, over 13,000 students nationwide have received this prestigious award. The program is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Recipients of the scholarship have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of other cultures, countries, languages, and economies — making them better prepared to assume leadership roles within government and the private sector. According to Allan Goodman, President and CEO of the Institute of International Education, “International education is one of the best tools for developing mutual understanding and building connections between people from different countries. It is critical to the success of American diplomacy and business, and the lasting ties that Americans make during their international studies are important to our country in times of conflict as well as times of peace.”

New York, New York – Continuing its tradition of providing transformational international exposure and life-changing opportunities to promising students, today the Watson Foundation is proud to announce its 45th class of Thomas J. Watson Fellows. The Watson provides unparalleled exploration for forty graduating college seniors in any field. Students conceive a dream-year integrating their unique experience, proven skills and passion and receive support for a year of independent study on an international scale.

Loreal Bell, a Berea College English major with a communications minor, has been selected as a 2013 Thomas J. Watson Fellow with the project, “Prisoner of Words: A Look into Feminist Euro Hip Hop Artists.” She expects to travel to the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden using interviews and documentary production as a tool for connecting with masculine women from the LGBTQ community who are involved in Hip hop culture. “Hip Hop is an artistic expression which often emphasizes male dominance and female oppression, but that doesn’t take the art form away from women,” Loreal explains.

Loreal—a hip hop artist herself—had this to say about her selection: “The opportunity to travel and live out a dream feels so surreal and exciting at the same time. It is a representation of how progress is tangible despite obstacles.” She is looking forward to learning from hip hop artists who do break dancing, graffiti art, and disc jockeying as well as emceeing.

This year’s class comes from eight countries and fourteen states. They’ll traverse 75 countries exploring topics from coastal disasters to synthetic biology; from music therapy to the ethics of extinction; from digital landscapes to the global shark trade; from youth criminalization to independent film making. “This year’s fellows are a constellation of remarkable students whose ideas cross as many disciplines as national borders. For 45 years, this has been the hallmark of the Watson – a boundless year of purposeful, independent discovery that forever shapes a fellow’s view of themselves and the world around them,” said Chris Kasabach, Director of the Watson Foundation.

Watson awardees come from select private liberal arts colleges and universities across the United States. Only 40 institutions can nominate students for the Watson Fellowship, and each institution carries out preliminary application reviews and nominee selections. Berea College is one of those 40 institutions, and the only one in the state of Kentucky. The Francis and Louise Hutchins Center for International Education there administers the process.

From over 700 candidates, 148 finalists were nominated to compete on the national level from which 40 were selected. Each fellow receives $25,000 for twelve-months of travel, college loan assistance as applicable, and an insurance allowance.

About the Thomas J. Watson Foundation

The Thomas J. Watson Foundation was created in 1961 as a charitable trust by Mrs. Thomas J. Watson, Sr., in honor of her late husband, the founder of International Business Machines (IBM). In 1968, in recognition of Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s long-standing interest in education and world affairs, their children decided that the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program should constitute a major activity of the Foundation.

About the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship

Over 2,700 “Watsons” have been named since the fellowship’s founding in 1968. A Watson Year provides fellows with an opportunity to test their aspirations, abilities and perseverance through a personal project that is cultivated on an international scale. Watson Fellows have gone on to become international leaders in their fields including CEOs of major corporations, college presidents, MacArthur “genius” grant recipients, diplomats, artists, lawyers, doctors, faculty, journalists, and many renowned researchers and innovators.

“The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards for undergraduate study abroad and was established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000. This scholarship provides awards for U.S. undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study abroad programs worldwide.”

In response to the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that took place in Japan last week, the US Department of State has issued a Travel Warning for that country. DoS urges US citizens to defer travel to Japan and advises those in the country already to consider departing.

Jacqueline Sprague of ABC36 (WTVQ) in Lexington interviewed Dr. Richard Cahill, Director of International Education, about the current political situation in Egypt. Video and a write-up of the interview are available at wtvq.com.

We are pleased to share good news from the Institute of International Education (IIE) that the Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA) program has been re-launched beginning with Summer 2011. Freeman-ASIA, made possible by a grant from the Freeman Foundation, provides need-based funding of up to $3000 for a summer program of at least eight weeks in duration, up to $5000 for a semester, or up to $7000 for an academic year. To be eligible, applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents at the undergraduate level who are planning to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia.

The US Department of State has announced an increase in fees for US Passport Books, US Passport Cards and other passport-related services. Effective 13 July 2010, the application fee for a first-time or renewal passport will be $110 (up from $75), although there is no change to the acceptance fee ($25) for applications submitted in person. In addition, DoS is implementing a fee of $82 to add pages to an existing passport.
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Applications for a new US Passport (Form DS-11) are available at the Center for International Education, 207 Woods-Penniman. Applicants who are eligible to renew by mail (using Form DS-82) may obtain the application online at travel.state.gov

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has revised the Employment Authorization Document (EAD), Form I-766, to incorporate additional fraud-prevention measures. USCIS started issuing the new cards on 11 May. »Read more

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has redesigned the Permanent Resident Card to incorporate enhanced security features. The new design also marks the card’s return to the color green (in recent years, “Green Cards” have been white, pink or multi-colored).